On Course

Jim Niemiec

Salt water fishing remains very good for anglers heading out to

channel waters in quest of big albacore, huge bluefin tuna, yellowtail

and marlin.

The fishing scene continued to improve all week with the better

weather conditions that allowed sport boats and private yachts to fish

high spots around San Clemente Island and other outer waters.

The weather could change to roughen up the seas for a few days, but

the long range outlook for the remainder of the month looks like the seas

will be cooperative and those rough water westerlies will back off.

Anglers on board the all-day boat “Thunderbird” enjoyed great albacore

fishing earlier in the week. Steve Park landed a 39-pound longfin to top

all anglers on board with the boat returning to the dock with nearly 100

albies.

The charter boat “Rising Star” got into a couple of hot stops on the

tuna grounds and that’s the boat that Paul Russell of Costa Mesa and John

DeWitt of Huntington Beach were fishing on when they both caught several

longfins weighing in the 24- to 30-pound class.

According to spokesman Eric Wiethorn at Davey’s Locker, fishing has

been excellent all week long. “The all-day boats have found huge schools

of albies, while the “Freelance has been racking up good scores on calico

bass at Catalina Island,” Wiethorn said.

Skipper Norris Tapp called in with full limits of calico bass on

Sunday for all anglers on board in what was described as one of the best

calico bass bites at the island in years with a full boil off the stern

as the bass hit every bait that hit the water.

The deluxe six pack charter boat “Bongos III” has been fishing

albacore, tuna and yellowtail daily.

In action earlier this week, Captain Shariff Mohammed of Costa Mesa

headed the fast sportfisher out past the 43 Fathom spot and nearly filled

the boat with fish.

Newport Beach angler Dick Swan was on board the boat and caught

hundreds of pounds of big albacore and many quality yellowtail weighing

in the 15 to 20-pound class taken from under a floating kelp paddy.

Bongos Sportfishing, based next to the Crab Cooker in Newport has

limited openings on charter trips for those looking to reach the fishing

grounds in a hurry and be back to the dock by 5 p.m.

There is great albacore and bluefin tuna fishing available for anglers

booking multi-day trips.

The deluxe, long-range sportfisher, “Searcher,” operating out of

Fisherman’s Landing in San Diego has been returning to the dock with

slammers full of tuna and longfins.

Captain Art Taylor is very optimistic about the remainder of the

season with plenty of fish stacked up in huge schools which are currently

holding off Baja Norte.

These fish should migrate through Newport’s off-shore waters right

after the full moon phase is complete.

With Harbor area resident George Konami of Irvine on a three-day trip

on the “Searcher” last week, it produced a five-hour stop on bluefin

tuna, all weighing in the 40- to 60-pound class.

It was the kind of fishing that only can be enjoyed when you are on a

boat and have time to fish a sundowner.

Finally, the water has warmed up to get striped marlin into a feeding

mood. There were nearly a dozen spikebills landed since the bite started

last Saturday.

According to Dean Plant over at Angler’s Center in Newport Beach,

marlin are stacked up pretty good between the 277 Spot and the east end

of San Clemente Island.

Big-game anglers can expect to see a movement of marlin on to the 14

Mile Bank and off Avalon before Labor Day.

Local anglers are looking at a fair season that was kicked off last

week when Larry Kennison of Balboa Island, fishing aboard his sportfisher

“Desperate Otter,” weighed in a 123-pound marlin at the Avalon Tuna Club

for the first fish of the season caught in channel waters.

There is a great white shark watch going on in the channel.

Seems that a spotter plane (used by commercial sword fisherman to

locate fish from the air) has spotted big groups of white sharks circling

high spots in the channel.

There have even been a few of the giant sharks showing up off the

beaches between Laguna and Oceanside.

Stay tuned for more information on the shark picture as it develops

during the next couple of weeks.